Helen Flanagan's friends and family say they knew she would not be able to do any of the bushtucker trials on I'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here before she even started the show.

After bottling her fifth trial of the ITV series, the actress's former Coronation Street colleagues took to Twitter to voice their support for the star and slam her critics.

Kym Lomas, who plays Michelle Connor on the soap, said it is "unfair" for people to keep voting for Flanagan to do the trials, and added it is maybe "not the best show" for her.

In a series of tweets, Lomas said: "I love Helen but I think we need to see someone else do a trial now. I want to see the trials being done anyway Don't you? It's best bit! X

"It's a bit unfair however for people to keep voting for Helen to do the trials, when we know what will happen, and then bitch about it?? X. As Someone who knows her Maybe im a celeb is not the best show for hels to be in. Anyway night gang x."

Charlie Condou, who plays Marcus Dent on the soap, commented on the "irrational terror" faced by people who suffer from panic attacks, which Flanagan has spoken out about before, adding that "we all knew" she would not be able to do the gruesome trials.

He tweeted: "When we heard Helen was going into the jungle at work, we all knew she wouldn't be able to do any trials. But she really doesn't have a bad bone in her body. Besides, as anyone who has suffered from panic attacks will know, there is nothing worse than irrational terror."

Meanwhile, Flanagan's parents said they tried to persuade her not to go into the jungle, with her mother saying she was "really worried" about her daughter after she decided to do the show.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Flanagan's mother Julia said: "I was really worried about her going in there because it's not the nicest of environments at all. I tried to persuade her not to go, even the week before I said, 'Helen, you don't have to do this you know!'"

Her mother added: "It's starting to feel like the voting public are pushing her too far."